With the two-week ceasefire coming to an end Wednesday, hopes of an end to the US-Iran war seemed elusive amid reports citing an American official saying that vice-president JD Vance’s trip to Islamabad for a second round of talks had been put on hold after Tehran failed to respond to American positions.
Earlier on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump said he expects to achieve “a great deal” with Iran after a second round of talks, while at the same time saying he also “expects“ to return to bombing if the mission does not succeed.
Iran had also not yet made a decision, foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told Iranian state TV while host nation Pakistan said it was in constant touch with Iranians.
In a series of often contradictory remarks in more than a half dozen interviews over 48 hours, the latest one a phone-in with CNBC, Trump blew hot and cold, sometimes lambasting Iran and sometimes praising it, as he sought to alternately bully and cajole Tehran into turning up in Islamabad. “Iran can get themselves in a very good footing if they make a deal. They can make themselves into a strong nation again, a wonderful nation again. They have incredible people… But they seem to be bloodthirsty, led by extremely (negatively) tough people,” he rambled in the CNBC interview.
